


Operation Find Mari’s Secret Favorite Person

by ClareGuilty



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir Finds Out First, F/M, Identity Reveal, Love Confessions, Miraculous Ladybug Love Square
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-06
Updated: 2020-07-06
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:54:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,380
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25113478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ClareGuilty/pseuds/ClareGuilty
Summary: “Marinette, who do you love most in the world?”Marinette accidentally reveals that she loves a mysterious stranger. Alya and Adrien won't stop until they find out who it is.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 41
Kudos: 507





	Operation Find Mari’s Secret Favorite Person

**Author's Note:**

> This work has colored text in it! That version is available [here on a PDF](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cgfzOCYXV8cCCByhAC9jcWFOqfKLbZsF/view?usp=sharing).
> 
> I love identity reveals, and I will keep writing them forever and ever.

“Marinette, who do you love most in the world?” Nino asked.

They were in her room. Nino laying on the chaise, eyes on the ceiling while he listened to music. Marinette and Alya were squished together on the bed, whispering occasionally. Adrien spun in her desk chair, fiddling with the sewing supplies strewn about. They had finished their homework with combined efforts and were taking full advantage of a quiet afternoon.

The question caused Marinette to freeze, turn pink, and then consider for a moment. All eyes were on her as her nose scrunched up and she tapped her chin. “Maman and Papa obviously,” she replied a moment later.

“Besides them,” Nino waved his hand. “You know what I mean.”

She sighed and nudged her best friend. “Alya, of course.” 

Marinette frowned and chose her next words very carefully. “Aaaand a… friend… from work.” 

“You and Kim, of course.” She gestured to Nino. 

“...and Adrien.” The blonde absolutely beamed, staring up at her with wide, hopeful eyes. She stammered and blushed and buried her face in Alya’s shoulder. “Why do you ask?” The question was muffled.

Nino shrugged. “You just always seem to have so much love to give. You’re unfailingly kind to everyone, even Chloe sometimes. I was just curious.”

Alya chucked a pillow at him. “You’re such a sap.”

“I’m your sap.” He made kissy noises, and the whole group dissolved into giggles.

“Where do you work, Marinette?” Adrien asked. He didn’t remember her mentioning a job before, but she wasn’t exactly the most eloquent person around him.

“Yeah,” Alya bolted upright. “Who has managed to take second place in your heart? You’ve known Nino since you were in primary school, and in the span of a year he’s been booted down to third best friend.”

Marinette turned dark pink. “You don’t know him.”

Alya looked indignant. “Why not? I think we deserve to meet your second favorite person.”

“He’s not my second favorite. I wasn’t even making a list! If anything, he’s tied with Alya for first.” Marinette crossed her arms.

The room erupted. No one was expecting that. Alya squawked and tried to demand answers. Nino let out a long ‘oooh’. And Adrien laughed so hard he fell out of his seat.

“Who is this guy?” Nino crowed as they settled down once more. “Does he work at the bakery?”

“Uh, yeah!” Marinette began to ramble. “Maman and Papa hired someone to help out… with deliveries! That’s why he isn’t around very often because he’s usually out dropping things off. He only works part time though, so I don’t see him very often.”

It was a weak lie. Sure to come back to bite her in the near future, but she didn’t have anything else to say. She couldn’t exactly tell her friends that one of the people she loved most in the world was Chat Noir. They would want details, and then she would have to tell them she was Ladybug and then everything would be terrible.

Despite their suspicious gazes, her friends didn’t press for more information. 

-

That evening, Marinette screamed into her pillow while Tikki watched with a worried expression.

“Why did I even say anything?!” she groaned. “I shouldn’t have even mentioned him at all!”

Tikki patted her head, an attempt at comfort. “You answered honestly. You can’t be hard on yourself for speaking from the heart.”

“But now Alya and Nino aren’t going to stop until they figure out who it is! I can’t put Chat in danger like that.” She hugged her knees. This was bad. Somehow, it was the same fear she felt whenever her identity was threatened. If her friends knew she was close to Chat Noir, she would be putting them all at risk. It wasn’t just Ladybug’s safety on the line this time.

Marinette struggled to fall asleep. She tossed and turned, imagining every possible worst case scenario if her friends found out the truth.

-

“So,” Alya sat her books down and leaned forward to where Adrien and Nino were chatting. Class didn’t start for a few more minutes, and, of course, Marinette was nowhere to be seen. “We already knew that Marinette’s secret work friend was a lie. But just to be sure, I asked Sabine this morning, and she said they hadn’t hired anyone to help them with deliveries. So the million euro question is… who is Marinette’s favorite person?”

Adrien blinked. “She lied about her friend at the bakery?”

“Of course, bro,” Nino rolled his eyes. “Mari’s a terrible liar. Learn to read her.”

Alya tapped her pencil against her desk. “Which  _ means _ that she has a whole best friend that we don’t know about, and the only information we have to go off of is that he’s a boy.”

Nino nodded his agreement. Adrien tried to catch up. “Maybe he’s a secret boyfriend?” The thought didn't sit well with him for some reason.

“Mari’s not dating anyone,” Alya said dismissively. Adrien conceded. That would definitely be something Alya would know.

“A secret crush?” he offered.

“Marinette already likes someone,” Nino shook his head.

“Could this be that person?” Adrien asked. It seemed like Alya and Nino already knew something he didn’t.

“No,” they said in unison.

“Why not?” Adrien was a little offended by how quickly they shot him down.

“We just know.” Alya waved her hand.

“I don’t think he’s in our class,” Nino said. “Otherwise she would have just told us.”

“I don’t know when she would have had time to meet him. She’s so busy with school and the bakery and designing.” Alya’s brows were pinched together.

“She does run off a lot,” Adrien offered. “Maybe she’s hanging out with him when she disappears?”

Alya perked up. “She always makes the worst excuses! Of course!”

The conversation came to a pause as Marinette stumbled into the classroom only moments before Mrs. Bustier. She dropped into her seat and whispered her good mornings. Alya pretended like nothing was out of the ordinary, so Nino and Adrien followed her lead

-

That evening, Adrien received an IM from Alya.

**They call me Cesaire cuz i b dressin** :  wassup im officially promoting this to threat level: group chat

**[Conversation name changed to “Operation find Mari’s secret favorite person”]**

**The knights who say ni(no):** i figured this was coming

**They call me Cesaire cuz i b dressin** :  we need a way to get better information

Shes not going to tell us anything

Sabine doesnt know anything either bc i asked so we need an outside source

**The knights who say ni(no)** :  who else can we ask? If she didnt tell us shes certainly not going to tell anyone from class

**Adrien a-mess** :  an outside sauce you say? I may be able to cook something up

**They call me Cesaire cuz i b dressin:** Ill believe it when I see it sunshine

Adrien grinned. “Hey, Plagg? Feel like going for a run?”

“No,” the kwami grumbled, rolling over on his pillow.

“Great. Claws out!”

-

Chat Noir dropped onto Marinette’s balcony 10 minutes later. Plagg was going to kill him for this, but it was always the same with cats and curiosity.

Marinette poked her head out of the skylight at the sound of footsteps. “Chat Noir? W- Were- Are you and Ladybug patrolling tonight?” She looked flustered, frantic.

“Not tonight,” Marinette’s shoulders slumped in relief, “I just came by to see my favorite  _ purr _ incess.” Chat winked.

She rolled her eyes. “Come on in if you’d like. I can grab some snacks from downstairs.”

“A croissant, please,” Chat dropped into her desk chair. He grinned as he realized this was also Adrien’s usual spot. He was a creature of habit. She dashed downstairs and returned with a plate of snacks.

“It’s been a while since you stopped by, kitty,” Marinette attempted to tidy up. Chat hadn’t come to see Marinette in a few weeks. Before then, he had been visiting much more frequently. “I missed you.” The words were quiet, a confession.

Chat almost didn’t hear her, but his super hearing picked up on the whisper. “Well, Princess, if I had known, I would have come to visit every night.”

“Don’t be presumptuous,” she tossed an empty spool at him. He caught it. 

He realized that his visits as Chat had grown less frequent as he started spending more time with Marinette as Adrien. He usually visited at least once a week for video games or to work on homework, and he hadn’t felt the need to stop back by later as his superhero self. Marinette, of course, didn’t know they were the same person, so she was missing one friend while hanging out with another. Nino was right, Marinette really did have room in her heart to love an endless amount of people.

Well, he would never say no to more time with Marinette. She felt like home. He could hang out with her as much as he wanted now, both as Adrien and Chat Noir.

“What have you been getting up to these last few weeks without me? I hope you haven’t been too lonely without your knight.” His grin earned him another lobbed spool, which he easily caught in the same hand as the first.

“Things have been going pretty well. I’m finally caught up on my schoolwork for once. I placed an order for some new fabrics. I even had my crush over a few times!” Marinette looked downright proud of herself.

Chat paused. “Your crush? He came over?” He was right! Marinette's secret favorite person  _ was _ her crush!

Marinette nodded. “He’s wonderful, kitty.” Her expression turned dreamy and Chat watched her hum to herself with a dopey smile.

“My princess has finally found her prince,” Chat deadpanned. He still wasn’t any closer to figuring out who this guy actually was. What if he was no good? What if he didn’t deserve Marinette? The situation was much more dire than he had originally thought. Marinette was so sweet, so kind. He didn’t want to risk her getting hurt by a guy no one even knew!

He wanted to say something, to ask questions. But Adrien knew things that Chat Noir didn’t, and he couldn’t risk giving away his identity.

“When do I get to meet the lucky guy?” he tried. 

Marinette looked at him “That’s not how this works, kitty. I can’t exactly introduce you to my friends. ‘Hey everyone, did you know I’m actually friends with Chat Noir? He wanted to meet you guys!’ In case you forgot, my best friend runs the Ladyblog.”

She had a point. Alya was enough trouble as it was, he certainly didn’t need her using Marinette to try and hound him.

“Besides! How could I ever convince my crush to go out with me if he knew that you were sneaking into my room at night?” Marinette looked panicked.

“Don’t worry,” Chat tried to placate her. “He doesn’t deserve you if he’s intimidated by your friendship with me.”

It worked for all of two seconds. “What are you talking about?” Marinette exclaimed. “Anyone would be intimidated by you! Have you seen yourself?” She gestured to him vaguely, cheeks turning redder by the second.

“Why, Princess, I didn’t know you thought so highly of me.” Chat preened and posed at Marinette’s insinuation. Even she wasn’t immune to the charms of Chat Noir.

“You’re a superhero! You run around Paris in a skintight suit saving the day! I’ve watched you bring down entire city blocks, Chat. There’s hardly any competition.” Marinette sank onto her chaise, hiding her face in her hands.

“Sounds like you should ditch your crush and date me instead. At least you know I could keep you safe.” Chat would be wearing this smirk for weeks. He had never expected Marinette to speak about him with such adoration.

“What about Ladybug?” Marinette glared at him.

Chat shrugged. This was an argument he had had with himself every night now for months.  _ What about Ladybug? _ “She likes someone else.”

Marinette huffed. “And so do I. I’m sorry, kitty, but I really love him.”

Her words weren’t supposed to hurt as much as they did. Yet somehow, it felt even worse than hearing Ladybug say it. Damn his bad luck.

“Well,  _ purrincess _ ,” Chat hopped to her bed. “I hope everything works out for you.” He bowed and leapt through the skylight.

-

Plagg stared at Adrien as he collapsed on his bed. “Are you going to figure this one out yourself, or do I have to spell it out for you?”

“Figure what out?” Adrien groaned.

“You’re in love with Marinette.”

“No, I’m not,” Adrien retorted. “I love Ladybug.”

“Mhm,” Plagg didn’t look convinced. “So Marinette and her crush can live happily ever after with three kids and a hamster?”

“No,” Adrien blurted before he could stop himself. He scrambled to try and save himself. “Only because her crush might be dangerous! We don’t know who this guy is! What if he’s taking advantage of Marinette?”

“Do you think Marinette is that poor a judge of character?” Plagg seemed genuinely affronted.

“No!” Adrien ran his fingers through his hair. “I’m just worried she trusts too much. I would feel better if at least Alya or Nino knew who this guy was.”

“Or if the guy was you?” Plagg offered.

“Yes. NO! Yes… I don’t know.” Adrien buried his face in his pillow.

“Alya!” He jolted up a minute later. “I need to tell her what I figured out.”

Plagg rolled his eyes. “I’m sure that will go well.”

**Adrien a-mess** :  I was right! Maris secret friend is also her secret crush

**They call me Cesaire cuz i b dressin** :  what? No way

How did you find out?

**Adrien a-mess** :  can’t tell you that, but she really likes this guy

**The knights who say ni(no)** :  what

No

That makes no sense

Mari has liked the same guy since the beginning of last school year

**They call me Cesaire cuz i b dressin** :  nino stop

**The knights who say ni(no)** :  what it just doesnt make sense

**Adrien a-mess** :  well i feel kinda bad for the old guy bc she is head over heels for her new friend

But i still have no idea who he is

What if he’s dangerous

I feel like at least one of us should know who he is

**They call me Cesaire cuz i b dressin** :  mari doesnt usually fall for the bad boy type so i doubt hes a threat

But im hurt that she didnt tell me about him

**The knights who say ni(no)** :  something doesnt add up here but im too tired to figure it out

-

The next evening, Chat and Ladybug met for patrol.

“Good evening, My Lady,” Chat grinned.

“Hi, Chaton,” Ladybug sounded… tired? Frustrated?

“Is something the matter? Do you want to  _ chat _ about it?” He couldn’t hide his supid grin at his own joke.

The heroine rolled her eyes, but Chat didn’t miss the slight quirk of her lips. “It’s civilian stuff. Nothing you could help with.”

“Just know I’m here if you want to talk,” Chat bumped her with his shoulder. It was so easy to be close to Ladybug, but so hard to be  _ close  _ to her. They spent so much time together, but she never really let him in. It ached in a way he hadn’t known before donning the miraculous.

They wound up on the Eiffel tower, as always. Chat lying on his back, head resting on Ladybug’s legs. She occasionally ran her fingers through his hair or scratched behind his ear.  _ Close but never close enough _ . Did this not feel like love to her?

“Ladybug,” he surprised himself by speaking, “You know I will always,  _ always _ love you, right?”

She sighed. “I know, kitty.”

He hesitated, this wasn’t really what he had wanted to talk about, but they were already here. “But if I met someone else, you wouldn’t be hurt?”

Ladybug hesitated. “I guess I couldn’t be. You deserve to be with someone who can love you fully.”

Her words stung. Even if she hadn’t meant for them to.  _ Can I love anyone fully? Ladybug? Marinette? My heart belongs to both. _

He pushed through anyways. “But I need to know you would be okay.”

A long moment. “I would. I would be okay for you. It’s not fair for you to wait while I chase after this other boy. It’s not fair for me to blame you for moving on.”

“You’re amazing, you know that?” More speaking without thinking. But who else would show him such grace? Who else would be so mature, so respectful? She truly was a superhero. He had never met anyone kinder -- except maybe Marinette.

Ladybug blushed. “I thought you were moving on?” It was teasing, not cruel, never cruel.

“I wouldn’t call it that exactly. The girl I’ve fallen for is already in love with someone else.” The ache in his chest worsened as he said it out loud. He hadn’t truly admitted it before.

She let out a short, barking laugh. “Seems you have a type, dear kitty. Maybe I should have Tikki give you some luck.”

Chat rolled his eyes. “I guess you could say I have a type. She’s like you in other ways, you know? Maybe we could all hang out together. I think you'd be great friends.”

“That’s not how this works, kitty.” The words echoed in his head. Familiar. He had heard them before. 

Marinette had said the exact same thing.

Chat froze. Marinette had said the  _ exact same thing _ . 

“You okay, Chaton?” Another scratch behind his ears. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“I’m fine, bugaboo,” Chat lied. He was not fine. He was the opposite of fine. Had Ladybug done that on purpose? Was she trying to reveal her identity? Was he reading too much into things? So desperate for the girl behind the mask to be the same girl that he loved? What if it wasn’t her? What if it was? Why wasn’t she saying anything?

Chat sat upright, stretching and yawning. “Well,” he hopped to his feet, “I had better get going. I’ve got too much physics homework, and my teacher is a nightmare.”

Ladybug huffed behind him, climbing to her feet. “Ugh, tell me about it.”

Chat ran home as fast as his feet could carry him.

He touched down in his room; he could already feel Plagg humming to detransform.

A moment of silence, and he leapt out his window again.

-

Marinette was sitting at her desk, glowering at her textbook when Chat knocked on her skylight.

“Chat?” she looked confused as she let him in. “Did you have patrol with Ladybug tonight?”

“I did,” he shrugged, “but I thought I’d stop by here for a bit.”

“Don’t you- I mean… You should-” She cut herself off again, brows furrowed. “I’m working on physics homework,” she gestured to her textbook.

“Ah,” Chat grinned. “I’m great at physics. Need any help?”

She squinted at him. He fought the urge to cower under her gaze. “Okay,” she conceded, “But you need to be gone at a reasonable hour.”

Chat spent the next hour watching Marinette as closely as possible and memorizing as many of the answers to his homework as he could. Could she be Ladybug?

If she was Ladybug, he was a fool for not realising it sooner. The same fierce determination, the same strength, the same kindness. He always swore to himself that he would know his lady in a heartbeat, yet she had been right beside him this whole time. When he had promised to love the girl behind the mask just as he loved his lady, he hadn’t known he had already fallen for her.

And she was in love with someone else.

He would have to remind himself every second of every day. Ladybug was the love of his life, and she was in love with someone else.

“I think you need to sleep, kitty,” Marinette ruffled his hair, “You’re starting to look a little tired.”

Tired. Heartbroken. Somehow still filled with the joy of knowing. He had found her at last, and his heart felt lighter somehow for it.

“You’re right,” he stretched his back and made his way to the skylight. “Goodnight, Princess.”

-

Marinette walked in on a heated discussion at school the next morning.

“Of course you would pick Queen Bee,” Kim was rolling his eyes at Chloe.

“Actually,” she tossed her hair, “I wouldn’t. As much as I love Ladybug -- I mean  _ workin _ g with Ladybug -- I also know the strengths of our team. Rena Rouge would be the best pick. She and Ladybug have this  _ connection. _ They work so well together.”

No one noticed how deeply Alya flushed, or the way Nino squeezed her hand and smiled at her with a lovestruck expression.

“Uh,” Marinette chewed her lip, “What are we talking about?”

“We’re trying to figure out who could replace Chat Noir,” Kim said. 

Marinette stiffened. “No one can replace Chat Noir.”

Max started to say something, “Actually, there is a 35% chance-”

Marinette whirled on him. “ _ No one _ can replace Chat Noir. He’s her partner.”

The class looked shocked. Marinette wasn’t usually so stern.

“But Chloe said Ladybug and Rena would be stronger together,” Sabrina chimed in.

Marinette narrowed her eyes at Chloe. “I have to disagree. You of all people should know that Ladybug needs Chat. You’ve fought alongside them.”

“And you,” Marinette turned to Alya and Nino, “How could you agree with her?”

“Uh,” Nino and Alya exchanged nervous glances, “Don’t know what you’re talking about, Mari?”

Marinette realized her mistake. She wasn’t supposed to know about Rena and Carapace. But good on them for keeping their secret.

“I mean,” she fumbled, “You run the Ladyblog! How could you even begin to think that Chat is replaceable.”

“I thought you weren’t even interested in the heros, Dupain-Cheng?” Chloe was smirking.

Oh no. Marinette had gotten herself in so much trouble. All of her classmates were suspicious of her now. But she just couldn’t stand by and let people talk about her partner like that! It wasn’t fair. 

“I just think people are too harsh on Chat Noir.” She tried to save herself. “He’s just as important as Ladybug.”

Chloe looked even more smug. “Well, I know Chat Noir personally, and I can say he’s really not all that. He’s just a dork.”

Marinette’s blood boiled. “I know Chat too! He’s a friend of mine, and I won’t let you talk about him like that.” She was walking right into a trap, she knew it. Chloe was up to something, and Marinette was too hot-headed to stay out of trouble.

“Sounds like you’ve got a crush,” she delivered the killing blow.

The class went wild. Marinette Dupain-Cheng has a crush on Chat Noir?

Defeated, heart racing, and blushing bright red, Marinette took her seat. She didn’t even notice Adrien, who had been sitting through the entire argument with his heart threatening to beat out of his chest.

Alya was practically vibrating in her seat through the entire class. At their first break, she pulled out her phone.

**They call me Cesaire cuz i b dressin** :  GUYS

Marinettes secret friendcrush is CHAT NOIR

**The knights who say ni(no)** :  huh

I mean i guess that makes sense

Adrien was having a crisis. Her crush couldn’t be Chat Noir. She had talked about her crush  _ to  _ Chat Noir. She had turned Chat down because she was in love with another boy.

Marinette was also Ladybug. At least, he was 90% sure. Marinette and Ladybug both had a crush on a boy that wasn’t him.

She had to be Ladybug. Who else would defend Chat Noir like that. Well, he guessed Marinette would always stick up for her friends, but that only proved his point. Who else was deserving of the power of the miraculous? Who else was a hero both in and out of the suit? Marinette never stopped fighting. She was always helping people, saving people, doing the right thing.

He ran home as soon as class was dismissed. He couldn’t bear to hear Alya talking about his superhero self and he didn’t know how to face Marinette now that he knew her secret.

Because he would have to tell her, right? He couldn’t keep this from her. Ladybug didn’t want to reveal their identities; but now that he was pretty sure he knew, she had to know. It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t safe.

But Marinette still had a crush on someone. Someone that wasn’t him. Nino had mentioned her liking someone else, someone he knew.

**Adrien a-mess** :  NINO

Who was the other boy that mari had a crush on

Not chat noir

You said she liked someone since last year

**The knights who say ni(no)** :  uhhh

Even if i was allowed to say who

I think that might be a problem

**Adrien a-mess** :  nino please

**The knights who say ni(no)** :  aly and nette would kill me

You would never find my body

Its not really a secret tho

Like literally everyone knew about it

**Adrien a-mess** :  everyone?

Except me?

**The knights who say ni(no)** :  pretty much

But im not saying anything without a lawyer

Adrien groaned and flopped onto his bed.

“Plagg?”

“What.”

“Do you know who Marinette’s crush is?”

The kwami snickered. “You, evidently.”

Adrien glared at him. “Not helping. I don’t know why I even asked.”

**Adrien a-mess** :  hey chlo

I have a question

You have to be nice about it

**The Real Queen B:** I’m never nice

**Adrien a-mess** :  please

You’re the only friend i can ask

**The Real Queen B:** what do you want?

**Adrien a-mess** :  do you know what boy marinette has a crush on?

Not chat noir

Theres another guy

From last year

**The Real Queen B:** FINALLY

Honestly getting you to figure out anything is like herding cats

Shes in love with you doofus

Has been since she met you

But shes too shy to say anything so we all just waited for you to realize

**Adrien a-mess** :  we?

**The Real Queen B:** the whole class

And mme bustier

**Adrien a-mess** :  marinettes in love with me

**The Real Queen B:** not anymore apparently

Since shes out here defending chat noirs honor

**Adrien a-mess** :  she doesnt like chat noir

Not like that at least

**The Real Queen B:** is that so?

Adrien ignored Chloe’s cryptic response, tossing his phone aside and staring up at the ceiling.

“So?” Plagg asked. He had seen it all, reading Adrien’s texts over his shoulder.

“You were right. Marinette likes me. Marinette loves me?” His stomach flip flopped. Ladybug loved him?

Plagg didn’t say anything, but he plopped down right on top of Adrien. It was a lot to process. He had fallen in love with Ladybug. He had fallen in love with Marinette. He knew Marinette as both Chat Noir and Adrien, but she only liked him as Adrien? She had mentioned having her crush over, which was Adrien, but she had lied about a friend from work.

“Wait,” His brows furrowed. “If she doesn’t have a crush on me, but she does have a crush on me -- I mean she doesn’t like Chat, but she does like me, then who is her secret friend?”

Plagg blinked at him. “This is the girl you think is Ladybug, right?”

Adrien nodded. He didn’t know for certain, but it had to be her.

“And you’re trying to figure out who her favorite person is?”

Plagg was trying to tell him something. Adrien tried to put the pieces together.

“Ladybug’s best friend,” Plagg said, exasperated.

“Oh! Me!” Adrien crowed, “Chat me. I’m Marinette’s best friend twice.”

Plagg melted onto the bed. “I wonder if Tikki has to deal with this too. Or is this just part of the black cat curse?”

“I have a hard time separating Chat and Adrien. I forget that everyone else sees two different people. I forget that my friends don’t know.” But maybe Marinette could know. He had to tell her the truth. He had to tell her that he loved her. That he was Chat Noir. That he knew her secret.

“If I’m not careful, this could go terribly wrong.”

Plagg snickered, “You’ve got that right.”

Adrien sat up, leveling Plagg with a determined look. “We’ve got to come up with a plan.”

-

Marinette was having a crisis.

“ _ Tikki _ ,” she whined. “I’m in love with Adrien; I can’t be in love with Chat Noir too!”

Tikki thought for a moment. “Did you seriously not realize you were in love with Chat Noir until Chloe pointed it out?”

“Because I’ve spent the last year and a half chasing Adrien freaking Agreste!” Marinette muffled yet another scream into her pillow.

“But you remember how jealous you got after Chat told you he met another girl,”

“Don’t remind me,” Marinette groaned.

Tikki patted her head. “Well…” she began, and Marinette already didn’t like where this was going. “What are you going to do now? If you like Chat Noir, and he returns your feelings, do you think you should give him a chance?”

Marinette sighed. “But, Tikki, he just said he fell for another girl.”

“A girl who also has feelings for someone else.” Tikki had her own suspicions on who that girl might be, but she kept her mouth shut. No need in making things even more complicated.

“I just can’t give up on Adrien like that.” Marinette stared at a photo of the two of them she kept pinned by her bed. “Can I?”

“It’s up to you, but you need to decide if you want to keep chasing after an ideal or if you want to take a chance on Chat Noir. He really does love you,” Tikki said.

Another sigh. “But our identities.” Marinette, always responsible. “How could I even date him when I don’t know who he is?”

Tikki was quiet for a long moment. “Maybe it’s time to give up on secrets? There’s no point in hiding from each other if you’re in a relationship. It’s important to be open in love.”

The thought terrified Marinette. No more secrets. No more hiding. Was she ready for Ladybug to be known like that? To ruin the illusion once and for all? How would things change if they knew each other outside of the mask?

-

Alya was riled up and ready to go the next morning before class.

“Alright,” she sat right on Adrien and Nino’s desk. “You two know I am the second biggest LadyNoir shipper out there, but if my best friend is in love with Chat Noir, then Ladybug is going down.”

Adrien’s head spun. Alya was going to try and get Chat and Marinette to go out? But he was Chat Noir. And Marinette was Ladybug. (Okay so he still hadn’t confirmed that, but how could she  _ not _ be. It was her. It had to be her.) He had a plan! Alya was going to ruin everything!

“Does Marinette even really like Chat?” Nino asked, thankfully he had enough sense to confirm Chloe’s accusation.

Alya crossed her arms, “She wouldn’t answer me directly but she was shady as shit about the whole thing. It’s safe to assume that she’s in love with him, but it seems like she only just realized it herself.

Adrien wasn’t ready for another earth shattering reveal that morning. Marinette was in love with Chat Noir? She had literally just rejected him a few nights ago.

“Marinette can’t like Chat Noir,” Adrien said without thinking.

Alya raised an eyebrow. “And why is that, Agreste?”

He spluttered. “Because she’s in love with someone else. She’s had a crush on m-someone since last year.”

“It’s possible to like more than one person, you know?” Alya said. Adrien knew that firsthand -- well, not really, considering the two people he loved were actually the same person. But if Marinette loved Chat Noir, he guessed she was in the exact same situation.

“How are you even going to set up Marinette and Chat Noir?” He needed to know Alya’s plan because he needed to work fast. He had to do things right.

“They’re already friends.” Alya shrugged. “I just need to get Chat to open his eyes and see the amazing girl right in front of him.”

“What about Ladybug?” he asked, the same question that had always made him hesitate around Marinette.

“What about Ladybug?” Alya repeated flippantly. “She doesn’t love Chat. She’s made that perfectly clear.”

“Oh,” Adrien said. His throat felt tight. It made no sense. How could Marinette like Chat Noir but Ladybug not? Would she even accept him if she knew the truth?

But he remembered her words a few nights before. Her blush. There was something there. Even as Ladybug, she still cared for him somehow. In some way.

He needed to tell her.

-

He didn’t get the opportunity until two nights later: on patrol.

She landed on the roof beside him.

“I need to tell you something.” They both said at the exact same time.

There were several seconds of false starts and ‘No, you go first’ until Ladybug shushed him. His heart fluttered at the feeling of her finger on his lips.

“I’ll go first. It’s - uh - it’s kind of a lot. But I hope we’re still able to talk afterwards.” She took a few nervous steps, watching the skyline as she mustered her courage. She was very rarely like this, always so confident. He could see the Marinette in her. The shyness and the stuttering.

“I talked with Tikki,” she began. “That’s not a good way to start this actually, but it’s all I’ve got. I, uh, I talked to Tikki… about us. I know this timing is probably terrible because you just fell for that other girl, but you said she was already in love with someone else, and I’m just  _ tired _ of waiting, and I need to stop being so scared and-” she took a breath- “What I’m trying to say is: Chat Noir, I’m pretty sure I’m in love with you and -- if you’re still willing to give it a shot -- I’d like to try… us.”

Adrien’s heart stopped. He stared at Ladybug, lost for words and unsure what to do. He had come tonight with a plan, and now he felt like he was falling with no magic baton or yoyo to save him.

“If you need time to think about it,” she peered up at him, “that’s okay too.”

“No, no,” Chat shook his head. “I don’t need any time. I, uh, I had something to say too, and I’m trying to figure out what to do after all… that.”

Ladybug’s brow furrowed. “Oh no,” she whispered. “I’m too late. I shouldn’t have said anything at all.” Tears welled in her eyes and she stared at the rooftop.

Chat rushed to her, taking her hands in his. “Not at all, My Lady. Trust me, everything is fine. It’s just a difficult conversation.”

“Difficult?” she asked.

Chat sighed. “Please don’t be upset with me. I know you wanted to keep our identities a secret, and you were doing so well. I just -- I accidentally figured out who you are.”

Ladybug froze, and then relaxed. “You know?”

He chuckled. “I sure hope I’m right. Everything kind of hinges on you being you.”

“What’s everything?” She looked so beautiful in that moment, hopeful and curious, leaning in closer to Chat.

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng --” she flinched -- his heart was beating so fast and so loud -- “I’ve fallen in love with you twice now, and I believe you’ve fallen for me. You’re one of the people I love most in the world, both in and out of the suit.”

She threw her arms around him. He wasn’t expecting it, and they nearly toppled over as they embraced. “Oh, Kitty,” she said, “I love you.”

His heart soared. He had known before, between Chloe and Plagg and Alya and Ladybug’s earlier confession. But hearing the words like that made him feel complete. The missing part of him finally returned.

She pulled back, a serious expression on her face. “Chat… you don’t have to reveal your identity if you don’t want to. But, I’d like for there to be no more secrets between us. If we’re going to make this work, I think we should be totally honest with each other.”

Chat nodded. “Marinette.” She still flinched at the sound of her civilian name. “Marinette, I want to tell you who I am, but you need to try and freak out as little as possible.”

Her face scrunched up, already trying to guess his identity.

“I’m Adrien Agreste.”

In her favor, she did not scream. She clamped a hand over her mouth and sank down until she was sitting on the roof. The first sound she made was a squeak behind her fingers.

“You knew everything, didn’t you?” She laughed breathlessly. “You figured all out, you smart kitty.”

He smiled. She wasn’t freaking out, but that would probably come later when she was at home. “Are you good to talk about it? I think we have a lot to figure out before school tomorrow.”

-

Marinette made it to school early the next day. Hand in hand with Adrien Agreste, she walked up the front steps with a smile on her face. Her classmates stared. Money was exchanged. No one could believe it had finally happened.

Alya stamped her foot, indignant. “You!” She pointed at the happy couple. “I stayed up ALL NIGHT trying to figure out how to set you up with Chat Noir! All of my hard work! Gone to waste!”

Marinette laughed, Adrien’s favorite sound in the world. “I had a long talk with Chat Noir. He helped to push me in the right direction, and I think he and Ladybug will finally work things out.”

The class couldn’t keep quiet. Chloe rolled her eyes as she passed. “Took you long enough.”

“Thanks for the help, Chlo,” Adrien grinned.

“I’m just glad you two won’t  _ bug _ me anymore with your endless whining.” Her lip curled into a knowing smirk.

Adrien and Marinette both exchanged wide eyed looks.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and kudos are greatly appreciated!
> 
> Both my [Tumblr](http://www.clareguilty.tumblr.com) and my [Twitter](http://www.twitter.com/Clare_guilty) are 18+ only!


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